Living a life of Gratitude 2:detours off the path.

“He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a despised Samaritan.” Luke 17:16 TLB Living Bible

Gratitude is highly desirable in our daily relationships. But like most good attitudes, it may require a process of learning and cultivation which could sometimes be challenging. Recognizing some of the things that hinder us from being grateful can make us better prepared so that we are not detoured off easily from the path as we strive to become better.

The first I believe is the "comparison syndrome". As long as we continue to compare our lives with the seemingly more glamorous lives of others, we may never see reasons to be grateful. A wise person once said that the grass is always greener on the other side and we may fail to appreciate the fact that at least we have grass which is green in our yard!

A sense of entitlement is another thing that could stop gratitude. I sometimes remember with regret receiving a present from one of my brothers when I was much younger and expressing a very flat "thank you" because I felt I deserved more. Although a wage has been rightly earned, there is still a place for gratitude for the opportunity to work.

I love to read books and one of the parts of a book that I enjoy reading is the Acknowledgement section. I like to see that the author has taken time to acknowledge the contributions of others. It takes a lot of humility to appreciate people and so pride sometimes can be a stumbling block to expressing gratitude.

Closely linked with pride is the "judging of motives” where there are preconceived views of the reasons of the actions of others which makes it a struggle to express gratitude genuinely. But the reality is none of us is qualified to judge motives as only God searches the heart, hence we should be prepared to express gratitude based on  actions alone   as our judgement may not always be correct.

Finally the "destination syndrome" can rob us of gratitude. It is  "the I will be happy when" this or that happens, happy perhaps when I  move into my own house or get married or have a child or have the long awaited job. All that robs us from expressing gratitude for today, gratitude that we are alive, in our right mind, able to read this article and to see clearly things that have been robbing us from gratitude.

Perhaps you know some other things that can stop the flow of gratitude, please do not hesitate to share them with us all.

Grateful to be alive,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

Living a Life of Gratitude

Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father for everything, in the name our Lord Jesus Christ. (italics mine) Ephesians 5:20 ESV English Standard Version 

Last week, I struggled to give a gift to a little child who turned seven. I wrapped it up to make it special and was surprised at my response to his response. He opened the gift and said "I already have something like this before". Yes, right as you guessed it did hurt  but what struck me the most was in the split second  before I thought of the ingratitude he had displayed was the question "Lord is this how it feels when I take things that you do for granted? It sure was not a good feeling.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, Gratitude means “the art of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and return the kindness of others”.

I  really like the fact that it is defined as an "art" which means that it can be learnt and improved upon. It is my desire to be a little more grateful each passing day. But most times, this is usually a struggle as it seems easier in the midst of the busyness of life to be weighed down by worries, fear and doubt. Gratitude has a lot to do with attitude which means we can consciously decide to adapt the attitude of gratitude. One definition of “attitude” is a settled way of thinking or feeling. It means that the attitude of gratitude can be adapted and reinforced as we practice it till it becomes a lifestyle.

I erroneously used to think gratitude just meant “being thankful” but the definition above includes a readiness to show appreciation. Sometimes I may be thankful but if I show my appreciation grudgingly or after much coaxing, then I am not really grateful. The last part of the definition is to return the kindness of others. This is in line I believe with the principle of "paying forward”. Another test of my gratitude is what I am giving back and this giving back does not necessarily mean money but maybe being a little bit patient as I teach someone else as a sign that I appreciate the fact that firstly, I am grateful for the time my teachers took to teach me and secondly that I am thankful to God for giving me the ability to understand what was taught.

God wants us to be a people of gratitude and not to take Him or life for granted. He rightly deserves our appreciation but also wants us to show gratitude to the people he has placed in our lives.

Feeling grateful,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

Entries for Lessons from our Fathers

Hi all,
The feedback I got from some people was that they planned to  but did not eventually send an entry last time for Mother's day.Now this is another chance and do not procrastinate.The new blue background change is in honor of  all dads and Father's day which is just around the corner,specifically on Sunday,15 June, 2014.There is not a single person who got here without a dad.Maybe you have not yet bought a present yet or you are just wondering of a special way to honor your dad or the father of your children.
This year,you can do so in words letting him and everyone know how much you learnt from him and we will also be featuring it on this blog starting from June 8th.So this is the time to write, a link will also be available so you can share with all your friends and family to honor your mum with you.The essay is "Lessons I learnt from my Dad/Father".This should be done in no more than 400 words.You can also upload a picture of him.Remember it does not have to be your biological father and we are all waiting to share your lessons with you.

Happy Father's day in advance.
Grace Tom-Lawyer

NB:Entries can be sent directly to justflourish@gmail.com  or using the contact form below.You will receive an acknowledgement and be told the date it will be featured.

God is concerned 2

And Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses…and they believed. And when they heard the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. Exodus 4:30-31 NIV New International Version

One of the promises of Jesus which we hardly pick in promise boxes is “…. in this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world”. John 16:33.Storms are an essential part of our lives. We are either  going through one, have just gone through one or will soon go through one. The children of Israel were also in a storm. They had been in slavery in the land of Egypt for over 400 years and finally they received the above message. Their response of worship to the concern of God is commendable and worthy of emulation.

But I will be the first to admit that worship is not always my response. I confess it is sometimes something between worrying,complaining and an unfounded hopelessness. A closer look at the verse will help us understand how they arrived at their response.

Firstly they heard; what are we hearing and who are we giving our ears to? This is because what we hear will determine what we eventually believe and what we believe will be evidenced by either worshiping or complaining. And in hearing, we have to be selective to make sure that we do not allow the facts to confuse the truth. The fact of their situation was that they were still in slavery but the truth of the matter was that they had a promise of deliverance from a concerned God.

Secondly they believed; they believed the word of God concerning their situation. If we do not take the time to discover what the word of God says concerning an issue, we will not have a basis for believing.         

Finally the people bowed to worship; they were able to bow to worship because they believed. They worshiped him when he had not done anything for them yet. But they had heard enough of him to trust himWe do not worship sometimes because we do not believe or know him. Studying our Bibles on a regular basis will help us know God more.The more we know him, the more we will find it easier to worship him. The reality of the depth of our knowledge is made apparent when we go through storms.

As we mature in the Christian faith, it is imperative that our response to the storms of life is worship on a consistent basis. So these days when I find that my response is not worship, I check to ensure that I have been hearing and believing the right things.

My encouragement this week is that we continue to seek to know God, to go beyond our present circumstances and worship him because of who He is. One of my pastor’s wife put it nicely “He has a track record of a 100% satisfaction guarantee”.

God is concerned and deserves our worship.

Grace Tom-lawyer.

God is Concerned.

 "God saw the children of Israel and God was concerned about them" Exodus 2:25 WEB World English Bible version

"God saw the troubles of the people [sons, children] of Israel, and he was concerned about [took note] of them”. Exodus 2:25 EXB The Expanded Bible version

 Last month as I began to go through the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, I took notice of the deeds that were done by faith and was reminded that it was by faith that Moses kept the Passover. A closer look at the Passover was richly rewarded with great truths that led me to study the call of Moses who was sent as the deliverer in Exodus 3. When God met Moses, He spoke the following words “…I have seen the troubles my people suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptian slave masters hurt them. I am concerned about their pain”. Exodus 3:7 NCV New Century Version.The  Passover happened because  of God’s concern.

 You may think that the various events in the world must mean He is not running it. How can there be a God in the midst of all the chaos and all the troubles but the thing about God that gives me comfort is that He is concerned. He was concerned about the plight of his people in Egypt. He remembered his covenant with their forefathers and I am convinced that He has not forgotten his covenant with me. He has said he will never leave us. The concern of God is not passive as we see in his searching for Moses to go and deliver his people. God also was concerned about the fall of man and thus sent Jesus to pay the price so as to redeem us and no matter what we are facing today, my encouragement is that we have a God who is concerned and also concerned about his word and keeping  his promises. In short, God orchestrated circumstances to ensure that the crucifixion of Jesus fell in the Passover week. This Easter as we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus the true Passover lamb, let us remember that for the  first Passover that God was concerned enough to train a man for 40 years. So sometimes it may seem to us that nothing is happening but in reality, God is working behind the scenes. One of the beautiful things he said to Moses is “… I have seen the troubles….”, yes God sees it all and He is concerned. I pondered for almost a week thinking about the concern of God for me and I want you to know no matter what you are going through, God is concerned.

Child of a Concerned God,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

P.S:I wrote this post last month but due to numerous travels was unable to post it, it was meant for Easter week but the message is still relevant. 

Lessons from my Mother-Mrs F.T aka "Mama Lawyer"

Mrs Florence  Tom-Lawyer nee Memuduaghan

I am grateful to God for this opportunity to share with you some lessons I learnt from my mother, As a child growing up, I confess that my secret fantasy was for the arrival of my real mother. But time has proved that those early days of discipline was necessary  for  future gain. I received  the beating of my life when I stole one naira (pound) as a child of five .I never took anything that was not mine after that! Later on, the great virtue of contentment was communicated to me as I noticed that my mum  is neither competitive nor jealous.

I learnt from my mother the need to pray to God who is the true owner of children. She   taught me the discipline of fasting as a little child by ensuring  I participated in the monthly children fasting programme in our church. She showed me respect for God by being on time for services in church. I learnt ministerial ethics from her as I watched her serve as a leader in church and on many committees. She has great respect for her pastors and is a committed member. She still attends choir practice meetings and joins the women in her church to clean as scheduled on the rota.

 I learnt caring for people by watching the ministry of my mother who has a genuine concern for people. She taught by her actions the meaning of  true friendship. Continuously, I saw her friends depend on her, when they travelled she checked up on their families and up to this day, my mum still calls some of my friends both home and abroad to enquire about their welfare. This care is also extended to members of her immediate and extended family.

 I  learnt the importance of expressing gratitude from her; once she asked my elder sisters to accompany me to thank a friend's father who gave me one naira. I just mentioned this in passing but she took it seriously.

I learnt from my mother the art of living peacefully with others. As long as I can remember, I am yet to   see my mum exchange words with anyone. She made me realize that it is okay to listen only. She once told me "if you do not have anything to say, keep quiet”.

I am still learning.

Happy Mother’s day.

Grace Tom-Lawyer

Lessons from a former escort,my Mother-Mrs R.S

Rahab  Salmon 

There is a probability that you may have heard about my mother. I am not sure of the circumstances that led to her choosing such an inglorious profession. As a prostitute, it was business as usual until one day she was met by two customers who approached her with a different agenda. They were spies from a neighbouring people who came to check her city which was due to be destroyed.

I learnt from her the importance of being conversant and listening to the news of the day. She knew the history of the people in the world around her and so recognized her opportunity to save herself when she met the spies.I gleaned from her wisdom as I noticed that she did not procrastinate but acted quickly when she was told to tie a scarlet rope down her house as a symbol so  she will not be destroyed. My mother also taught me the importance of multiple streams of income. She also dyed and sold cloth and so used these materials she spread on her roof to hide the spies.

My mother had a heart for her family, she was interested in their welfare and when the opportunity arose, she negotiated their safety. Although she was a prostitute, she had such impact and influence on her family members that commanded such respect which made them come when she sent for them. She did not lose concern for her family and so taught me to take practical steps along with interceding for my family.

 But  most of all, I like the fact that my mother's story did not end where she started. After she and her family were saved ,she started a new life by marrying my dad  Salmon a prince, who was one of the spies. It was such a great romance story, there was enough grace and love to forgive her and cleanse the shame of her past. She gave birth to me and she is one of the only two women that is mentioned in the Hall of faith in Hebrews 11.

 Read more in Judges 2:1-24,6:17-25

I guess the greatest lesson I learnt from my mum is not to let the past define me or my future. She started out as a prostitute but ended up an ancestress in the lineage of Jesus. Her past did not determine her future and so does yours. 

Happy Mother's day.